Sound of Silence Part Two – Negotiating the Salary

You’re getting warm. The big day is on the horizon. You know they’re on the verge of offering you “the job.” But before they do, they ask you: “How much money are you looking for?”

May I suggest you:

1) Take a deep breath. Silence is your friend. It reads to the prospective employer as composure, not stupidity.

2) Remember one of the most important adages in the Job Search World: “He who speaks a figure first loses.”

3) Confidently say to your soon-to-be employer, “I’ll consider your best offer.”

Here’s why: Let’s say you wanted $100k per annum and you told this to the employer. Maybe she was prepared to offer you $120k per annum, but if you’re happy with $100k, well, that saves her 20k and you’ll be happy with what you received, right? Also, said employer may think you aren’t as experienced as she thought and may want to reconsider offering you that job. On the flipside, let’s say you said $100k per annum to the employer. Maybe she’s only budgeted to offer you $90k per annum. Now she’s going to rethink whether or not to offer you the job at the $90k amount, an amount you may have said “yes” to, except that by saying $100k, it’s the equivalent to saying “no” to a lower offer.

By saying, “I’ll consider your best offer” you take the ownership of quoting a figure off your shoulders and place it back on the shoulders of the potential employer. There’s a better-than-not chance that she will then give you an idea of just how much she’s willing to offer you, giving you the edge to better negotiate your salary. 

To your success!
Rita

Silence is the true friend that never betrays. 
~ Confucius